15 September 2013

Cornell Open and McGill Cup

Win at McGill Cup, 5th at Cornell Open.

By Simone Larose and Claire Boileau

On September 14th-15th 2013 the Queen’s Sailing Team competed in two regattas: The McGill Open in Montreal, and the Cornell Open in Ithaca, New York.

McGill Cup

The McGill Open was held at the Royal St. Lawrence Yacht Club and had 8 boats in each fleet. Flurry Hogg and Greg Clunies were the A Fleet crew and Linor Berezin and Claire Boileau were in the B Fleet for the Gaels.

Saturday started with light winds and picked up to around 15 knots by the end of the day. The current of the river was the main factor to consider when planning race tactics and both teams played the wind shifts well throughout the day.

On the first day, Greg and Flurry did very well coming 2nd in many races and Linor and Claire came 1st in all of their races but one. They finished the day with Greg and Flurry tied up with McGill for first in their fleet and Claire and Linor with a secure first in their fleet.

Sunday brought heavier air for racing. Greg and Flurry excelled in this with some first place finishes and Linor and Claire with a majority of first places again. Queen’s had mastered working with the current and finished the day in first place of both of their fleets and with an overall win.

2013 McGill Cup Results

Cornell Open

The Cornell Open was held on one of the Finger Lakes in upstate New York. With 17 other colleges present, the quality of the competition was quite high.

The wind conditions throughout the weekend were patchy and the sailors had to be constantly aware of where the wind pressure was at all times.

The “B” fleet team, Mac Morrin and Nick Schwenger, were able to use the wind conditions to their advantage and secure a first place finish on the first day of racing. The team’s rookies, Sam Thompson and Simone Larose, were impressed by the quality of the boat handling demonstrated by the American teams. Some friends were made and some new skills were learned; overall the regatta was a positive experience for all members of the team. The Queen’s Sailing Team finished 5th overall.